The role of open-air markets in the 15-minute city: A case study of Rynek Jeżycki in Poznań (Poland)

Diagnoses of the problems faced by modern cities prompt the search for tools to support sustainable urban practices that affect, for example, the propensity to walk. This article examines the role of open-air markets in Central Europe in the context of the 15-minute city concept. From the authors' perspective, the regional context plays an important role here due to development dynamics of the region, where urban markets served (after the Second World War until 1989) as substitutes for centralized economies. Today, we suggest, these markets create a kind of alternative to vertically integrated supermarkets and big-box stores. This study attempts to shed light on the role of open-air markets in the context of proximity-centered accessibility, through a case study of Rynek Jeżycki in Poznañ (Poland). The findings of the study indicate that the traditional urban market formula fits into the concept of a 15-minute city, which provides grounds for cautious recommendations. The conclusions of the analysis are based on a study using a mixed-methods formula, including measures of pedestrian accessibility, crowd mapping, observation, questionnaire surveys, and in-depth interviews conducted with users of Rynek Jeżycki.